1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a two position nozzle assembly which has a barrel screen insert and which is mounted on a trigger sprayer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore various liquid foam dispensing devices have been proposed. For example, a foam dispensing device including a squeezable container with foaming member and valve system is disclosed in the Wright U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,364. Such device is, however, much different than, and non-analogus to, a trigger operated foam dispensing device.
Additionally, non-analogus vertical pump type foam dispensers have been proposed in the Dickey U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,789 and the Bennett U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,147,306 and 4,156,505.
Foam barrel generating devices are disclosed in Japanese published Utility Model, Publication No. 50-58310 and the Schneider U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,947.
One trigger operated foam dispensing device is disclosed in the Schneider U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,228. In this patent, a multi-section foam generating barrel with a pressure reducing inlet passageway is longitudinally adjustable relative to a diverging liquid stream for developing a desired foaming action.
Another trigger operated foam dispensing device utilizing an elongate barrel with several chambers therein separated by screens is disclosed in the Wesner U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,159.
Still another trigger operated foam dispensing device is disclosed in the Tada U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,298. In this patent, a trigger type foam dispensing device includes a nozzle cap with an outlet wall having a plurality of arms constituting an obstacle wall against which spray liquid from a spray or stream outlet orifice collides to mix with air in the nozzle cap to form foam which exits the nozzle cap through three or more orifices formed between the arms in the outlet wall.
A three position nozzle assembly providing a SPRAY position, a STREAM position, and an OFF position for use with a trigger operated liquid dispensing device is disclosed in the Quinn U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,128.
A further trigger operated foam dispensing device is disclosed in the Stoesser et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,905. In this patent, a foam forming structure is formed at the outlet of a trigger operated liquid dispensing device. The structure includes an orifice in an outlet wall on the body of the dispensing device, a short axial length cylindrical chamber in front of (or downstream of) the orifice and a screen over the downstream end of the chamber. The conical spray pattern from the orifice is designed to impinge on the screen in a circle pattern smaller than the circular outer edge of the screen so that air, for mixing with the spray to form foam, can enter the chamber through the screen in the annular area between the circle spray pattern and the circular outer edge of the screen.
A two position nozzle assembly without a barrel screen insert is disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Laid Open Publication No. 133358/1981 and the design of a two position nozzle assembly without a barrel screen insert but otherwise similar to the two position nozzle assembly disclosed herein is disclosed in U.S. Des. 293,929 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Trigger sprayers of the type which are adapted to mount the two position nozzle assembly with a barrel screen insert are disclosed in the Steyns et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,252 and the Saito etal U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,751, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the foam nozzle assembly of the present invention differs from the previous foam nozzle assemblies used in, or combined with, a trigger sprayer by not only providing a foam nozzle assembly having a simple two piece construction including an integral one piece nose bushing which is received in an opening at the upper forward end of the body of a conventional trigger operated liquid dispensing device and an integral one piece nozzle member which is received over and mounted on an outlet end portion of the nose bushing, but in addition a barrel screen insert mounted in a foam generating chamber in an outer short barrel of the nozzle member.
The nose bushing outlet end portion has a construction including at least two tangential passageways which permit liquid to enter a central cavity tangentially of the cavity so that a swirl of liquid is provided in the cavity. The nose member includes the short barrel portion, a cap portion which is received over the bushing outlet end portion where it can communicate with the cavity and an inside wall defining on one side, a bottom wall of the cap portion, and on the other side, an inner end wall of the short barrel portion. The inside wall has an orifice and the barrel portion has air inlet openings extending through the barrel portion near the inside wall. The barrel insert is a generally hollow insert having a perforated interior wall.
Swirling liquid from the cavity at the outlet end of the nose bushing communicates, in one position of the nozzle member, with the orifice and a conical spray of liquid created by the swirling liquid exiting from the orifice, impinges on the perforated wall and mixes with air received in the barrel portion from the air inlet openings to create foam which is dispensed from an outer chamber in the outer end of the barrel screen insert.
The nozzle member is movable between a FOAM position where the tangential passageways are open to allow swirling fluid to be pumped out of the body of the trigger operated dispensing device and an OFF position where the tangential passageways are closed.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 181,143 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,792, for the teaching therein of ribs which have a specifically configured back edge in a foamer nozzle assembly. The specific configuration taught in this patent is a V-shaped back edge. The disclosure of this patent is incorporated herein by reference.
This application is also a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 158,329, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,227, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 817,935 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,775 for the teaching therein of an outer piece having a Y shaped interior wall therein which is received in an inner piece in a manner analogous to the receiving of the barrel screen insert described herein within an outer barrel portion of a nozzle member. The disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,730,775 and 4,883,227 are incorporated herein by reference.